THE NOAK BRIDGE NATURE RESERVE SOCIETY
THE NOAK BRIDGE NATURE RESERVE SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
Autumn 2005 http://www.nbnrs.org.uk
 Greetings from Chairperson Betty HaynesIt has been a very dry year and with so little rain all the ponds on the reserve are very low. That is not too bad in some ways as it will make it easier for the Environment Agency to remove all the fish from the ponds. You will also notice that the blackberries are smaller than last year and not so juicy but they are ready for picking. Now is the time to make your sloe gin in time for Christmas; there are plenty of sloes this year. Finally, we have our new notice board! It is now installed at the Eastfield Road entrance. Have you seen it yet? Thanks again to Basildon Council for the grant and to Basildon Council Countryside Services for their help in setting up the board at our July Work Party. Don't forget the Yuletide Ramble - Sunday, 11 December 10am - 12 noon. Mulled wine and mince pies afterwards in the Village Hall! |
| Committee: | Betty Haynes, Chair Janet Bircham, Secretary Joan Fynn |
Tony Youé, Vice-chair Weed, Membership Sec. Peter Fynn |
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1. Apologies Terri Sargent, Ralph Chapman, Peter Hobbs 2. Chairperson's Welcome and Report - Betty Haynes Betty Haynes was pleased to welcome 12 members to our Annual General Meeting. Our thanks again to Terri Sargent for the use of the hall. The Society's main projects undertaken in the monthly work parties this past year were the clearance of pond weed and the removal of fish from two of the ponds. Committee members braved the chilly waters on a very cold January afternoon to dispose of the pond weed and English Nature personnel came in February to remove the fish and take them to a more suitable location. Members also took part in coppicing, the clearance of undergrowth and the repair of the pathway through the meadow. Betty has obtained four special nesting boxes to encourage some of our endangered species of birds to nest in the reserve. There is an owl box, a kestrel box and two robin/blue tit boxes to be installed in the autumn. We would like to encourage sponsors for this project. £5 per year. Please telephone Betty at 531365 for further details. Small motor cycles have been seen in the reserve and evidence of their presence noted on the paths and in the grass. The highways department has been contacted with a request for notices to be placed at the entrance emphasising that motorcycles are not permitted. Betty thanked all the members who supported our Open Day in June. The weather was great and the exhibits and Owl Wise display were enjoyed by all. There were lots of super raffle prizes donated by local businesses. Our next event will be the Yuletide Ramble on Sunday, 11 December, 10am - 12:00pm. 3. Matters Arising from the Minutes of the AGM held 8 July 2004 i. As of this date there are no plans to extend the A127. ii. Basildon Festival. We attended the festival in July 2004 but felt it was not to our advantage and decided not to participate again. 4. Adoption of the Minutes of AGM 2004 Joan Fynn proposed that the Minutes be adopted. The motion was seconded by Tony Youé and Betty Haynes signed her approval. 5. Treasurer's Report - Ralph Chapman Ralph Chapman was unable to attend this evening. Copies of his financial statement will be sent to all members present at the meeting when they become available. 6. Membership Secretary's Report - Weed We have a membership of 84 households, an increase of 16 since the previous year. Weed's membership drive this year resulted in 31 new memberships. We will continue to contact homes in Steeple View and Wash Road. About 75% of our members live within walking distance of the reserve. Subscriptions are now due for 2005/2006. Donations have been very encouraging this year. Weed maintains and develops our web-site. 7. Countryside Services - Mark Williams Mark will be concentrating on wildlife preservation in the coming year, participating in an Essex County project. Betty Haynes would also like us to do a survey of plants and flowers. 8. Election of Officers and Committee. The officers and committee stood down, as required by our Constitution and Betty Haynes asked for nominations from the floor for the various posts. There were no volunteers and the following were elected (again!) -
Congratulations! 9. Open Forum i. Financial Statement - Mr and Mrs Theobolds requested copies of Ralph's report be sent to all members present. ii. Charity Walk, 22 May 2005 - Betty Haynes took part in the annual sponsored walk for local charities organised by John Baron, MP. Betty's walk raised £110.00!! She has been invited to a presentation and will receive a cheque on behalf of the reserve. Well done! iii. Notice Board - In April 2005 the Society was awarded a grant of £600.00 from Basildon District Council for the replacement of our vandalised notice board. We have purchased a new, sturdier board and it will be installed by Basildon Council Countryside Services and Society members at our next work party on Wednesday, 20 July 2005, 1pm - 3pm. Chat and Refreshments! Wine and cheese were enjoyed by all once again to round off a very pleasant evening. Where do all our members go....? |
 MembershipsThe Society had a membership of 84 households for the year June 2004 to 31st May 2005, maintaining our steady growth since we started in 1999. Thank you to everyone who renewed their memberships, and welcome to the new members, most of whom joined as a result of the leafletting drive in Noak Bridge. Membership fees and accompanying donations are the Society's only regular income, and because of your support we have been able to cover all our expenses so far. Subscriptions for 2005/6 are now due. Thanks to those of you who have already renewed your memberships, and for those who haven't a form is enclosed with this newsletter. Subscriptions may be given (or sent) to Weed at 44 Lower Street, or to Janet Bircham at 42 Crouch Street. For further information please see the 'society' page of the web site , or contact Weed by telephone at 289577.  Internet - http://www.nbnrs.org.ukDon't forget to look at out web-site. Weed updates the information regularly. It has photo galleries, a brief history and map of the Reserve, copies of back issues of the newsletter, and curent details about the monthly work parties. The web space is kindly provided by Noakbridge.net, and everyone is encouraged to join in the forum there. As well as having a section on the Nature Reserve Society, there are also sections on items of general interest to the local community.  Work PartiesWe meet at the Eastfield Road entrance on the third Wednesday in the month - 1pm - 3pm with Mark Williams. Please look for our notices on our new notice board and in the chemist's shop window. Next meeting Wednesday 14 September.  Mark
Williams, Ranger (Basildon Countryside Services)DOG FAECES & THE TOXICARA PARASITE As well as being unpleasant and unsightly, dog faeces is a serious public health risk due to the parasite toxicara which can cause blindness if swallowed. A recent survey by Encams (Environmental Campaigns) said up to 16,000 people are affected by toxicariasis every year. The parasites and its eggs can be picked up on shoes, children's hands, the wheels of pushchairs, wheelchairs etc. It may take months after swallowing these eggs for symptoms to develop. The symptoms can last for a year or more and include the following: poor appetite, headache, fever, sore throat, aching limbs, abdominal pain, sleep disturbance, listlessness, pneumonia, asthma. Eye symptoms are not always present although blindness resulting from toxicariasis affects nearly 100 people a year and may develop up to ten years after the initial infection. The main group of people at risk are children who play where irresponsible dog owners have allowed their dogs to foul without clearing it up afterwards. Fortunately the disease can be controlled if the faeces are disposed of immediately in a responsible manner. Any suitable plastic bag can be used, or special poop-scoop bags can be purchased from pet shops, veterinary surgeries or stores. Dispose of faeces in any one of the two poop-scoop bins located within the Reserve.  Items for the NewsletterIf you have something you would like to put in this newsletter please call Janet Bircham at 01268-526344. |
COUNTRYSIDE
SERVICES EVENTS 2005  Sunday 11
December Yuletide Ramble at Noak Bridge 10am - 12noon Mulled wine and mince pies at the Village Hall. |
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